Is there a way to automatically get each bracketed layer of the pano embedded in a single .psd file? I've only succeeded in getting each frame embedded as a layer, but not the entire bracketed layer of a pano. Autopano can do that, but it does them only in separate files.
I believe that it is possible in the rendering option of an HDR pano to specify that each level of exposure is contained in a given layer.
Is there a way to force two identical panos, taken with similar settings, to align? For example, if I take two passes of the same pano with identical manual exposure, can I align them both just like a bracketed exposure?
You can use templates, or replace the images of one pano with other images. You should be aware though that if maximum image quality is required you need to make sure that the images are perfectly aligned at the pixel level, which requires a very heavy tripod and robust head...
It is more realistic to open the bracketed images in PTgui and to tell the software to align everything, this will deal with small inaccuracies better.
Can I crop the pano itself before rendering it? I've only found an option to crop each frame, but not the final result.
At least in PTgui Pto, you can crop the output of PTgui by dragging the borders of the preview window since version 8.0 or 8.1.
Cheers,
Bernard